Stimulus fraud, corruption reported ... A nationwide audit found some officials spent money on unapproved projects or failed to keep accurate records, officials said at a news conference. But they gave no indication of whether they uncovered theft or other crimes. "There are some serious problems, and for those serious violations we have urged the related departments to issue strict punishment," said Wang Wei, a member of the Communist Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. (forbes.com)
Blame the one-party system ... The United States of America has been on a steady march toward socialism for the past eight decades. President Franklin Roosevelt began the process in earnest, when he took office in 1933, ramming no fewer than fifteen bills through a special session of the Democrat-controlled congress – following the maxim of Obama’s chief-of-staff Rham Emmanuel to “…never let a good crisis go to waste” when seeking to expand the power of government. Today, President Obama has taken advantage of a recession to generate and perpetuate a perceived crisis, which has resulted in the greatest leap forward for socialism since President Johnson’s “Great Society” debacle of the 1960s. Meanwhile, the feckless Republican opposition is unable even to bring themselves to call the Democrats socialists. (examiner.com)
Union-backed, tax-funded fraud group exposed ... Worse, ACORN is competing for $8 billion in Stimulus dough, thanks to President Obama. So where does the money go? Fox News traced the money to a single, small funeral parlor in New Orleans on Elysian Fields Avenue. It appears to be a bank for ACORN and as many as 268 of its far-left affiliates. And some of its affiliates — like “The ACORN Institute” — are 501(c)(3) organizations. To maintain its tax-exempt status, various arms of ACORN purport to be a non-partisan, community support organizations. These are laughable propositions, to be sure, but thus far have resisted attempts to puncture their complex corporate veils. But Mitchell Blatt may have found a damning piece of evidence that destroys ACORN’s claims of non-partisanship. It’s an internal ACORN memo — dated January 26, 2004 — that spells out explicit gerrymandering strategies to benefit Democrats. (hotair.com)
Rumor of Card Check's 'death' is greatly exaggerated ... Many congresspersons returning home for the Memorial Day break found themselves face to face in their home districts with union members determined to win passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. Thousands have been mobilizing during the past few days at more than 200 events in key states like Alaska, Louisiana, Indiana, Maine, Arkansas and Louisiana. The states are “key” because they are represented either by Democratic senators who have been sitting on the fence or by Republicans who are considered likely to be influenced by pressure from workers. The actions, including everything from 24 hour candlelight vigils and town hall meetings to letter writing and phone banking campaigns, came as articles claiming that “card check” is “dead" were circulated. One story by Liza Featherstone published May 24 on Slate's “The Big Money” blog claims that President Obama himself has pronounced "card check" dead and said the Employee Free Choice Act didn’t have the votes to pass but that a “compromise” could work. (pww.org)Related video: Entertaining AFSCME
We don't need no stinkin' Rule of Law ... The President mentioned the Rule of Law in a speech last week. At the National Archives about his policies on terrorism, he said: From Europe to the Pacific, we've been the nation that has shut down torture chambers and replaced tyranny with the rule of law. But the previous week the administration blew off the Rule of Law in the Chrysler bankruptcy. It stiffed the senior secured creditors in favor of a junior creditor, a labor union. That's probably unconstitutional, because the US Constitution calls for "uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States." You can see why the founding fathers might think uniform bankruptcy laws were a good thing. It would provide protection for creditors, never the most popular people in society, against a politically favored special interest like a labor union. (americanthinker.com)
'It ain’t gonna happen.' ... New Jersey is stuck with the worst elected politicians, right up there with Chicago, the most corrupt city in the USA—the “Home” of Marxist President Barack Hussein Obama, whose finance campaign manager for his Presidency faces federal charges over “fraudulent money schemes.” Add to that “ACORN,” a corrupt, fund-raising organization once headed by Obama in his early political days in Chicago as a “community organizer.” ACORN is under federal investigations for fraudulent election activities. (How else can they win elections?) How did Obama wind up in the Oval Office as the most powerful leader of the Free World? ACORN got him there. And ACORN owns this sweet talking President. Since Obama has been sworn in as President, he has committed himself (and America’s taxpayers) to borrowing trillions of dollars for “stimulus packages” to get this country out of a wild Recession/Depression. How will that ever happen?” As they say on the ‘street,’ “It ain’t gonna happen.” (newsbyus.com)
Blame capitalism ... This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Toledo, Ohio, Auto-Lite strike. From February until June 1934, the city of Toledo, Ohio—a major industrial city on Lake Erie—was gripped by the workers’ struggle against the auto parts manufacturer, Electric Auto-Lite. The struggle was led by socialist-minded workers and won broad support from the city’s working class, a large portion of whom were unemployed due to the Great Depression. The strike ultimately prevailed in spite of vicious opposition and violence from the corporation and state authorities. The Toledo Auto-Lite strike was quickly followed by two more major strikes led by socialist-minded workers, the Minneapolis Teamsters’ and San Francisco longshoremen’s strikes. The three battles announced social upheaval in the United States in response to the capitalist breakdown of 1929 and the mass suffering that it produced. (wsws.org)
Militant gov't unionists strike, trash piles up ... More than 250 binmen are back out on the picket lines in Bristol today in the second day of strikes over pay. They were joined by refuse drivers, loaders and street cleaners as they protested at Sita's Hartcliffe Way, Lewins Mead and Sea Mills depots in their row over wages. Tuesday's strike left up to 35,000 homes across Bristol with their black wheelie bins and brown food-waste bins uncollected. Road sweeping was also hit, although some Sita staff did clean the streets in Broadmead. The one-day strike took place from 5am to 5pm. A third strike is planned for Friday, and then for every Monday and Friday until the dispute is resolved. The binmen have been on the picket lines since talks between their union, Unite, and Sita management collapsed on Friday. (thisisbristol.co.uk)
Memorial Day strike drags on ... While wages are an issue for striking Penelec workers, there are bigger issues behind the strike, a union picket captain in North Towanda said. "Wages are always an issue. But far bigger issues have to do with safety, quality of life and working conditions," said Josh Young, a picket captain of Penelec workers striking Tuesday at the utility’s North Towanda office. For example, Penelec has proposed that workers be required to work with smaller-diameter electrical wires when they are energized, Young said. (thedailyreview.com)
Obama apes Hugo Chávez ... Hugo Chávez just confiscated the assets of private companies doing services to the nationalized oil industry in Venezuela. Why? Because the government ran out of money to pay for the services already rendered by these companies. Now Chávez owns the confiscated equipment and will assimilate the workers laid off by the confiscation. The bureaucracy will increase, also his power to control people at the expense of the future of the oil industry. (It may happen here.) Is that what we would like to see happen to the U.S.? Stay tuned. (theadvertiser.com)
Obama rolls out New World Order ... While meaningless United Nations hand-wringing over the North Korean nuclear weapons program garners the headlines, the world body is moving ahead with a global conference to lay the groundwork for world government financed by global taxes. The communist head of the U.N. General Assembly is leading the effort, but he is getting crucial support from "progressive" economists who advise the Obama Administration and the Democratic Party. The United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development, previously scheduled for June 1-3, will now take place on June 24-26. U.N. General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto is the U.N. point man on these "global governance" issues. We noted his role at the United Nations in a column last October. Now, even the New York Times is paying attention to what this crackpot has been up to. (rightsidenews.com)International Collectivism
Anti-capitalists gang up ... Venezuela and Bolivia are sending uranium to Iran, according to a secret Israeli report obtained by the Associated Press on Monday. The report also states that Hezbollah agents have been working in Latin America to bring “America to its knees.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry document states: “There are reports that Venezuela supplies Iran with uranium for its nuclear program. Bolivia also supplies uranium to Iran.” The report concludes that Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is teaming up with Iran to undermine Washington. (thetrumpet.com)
Uribe apes Hugo Chávez ... No one who has talked to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe can be surprised that his country's Senate has now approved a constitutional referendum that would allow him to run in 2010. Uribe thinks that the presidency remains his destiny. There are still some institutional obstacles, particularly the Constitutional Court, but the decision will almost certainly be made by Colombians at the polls. The law requires a turnout of at least 25 percent — almost the same number of people who voted for him when he was re-elected in 2006. For the good of Colombia, Uribe, the most successful Latin American president in a generation, must be stopped. (deseretnews.com)
